Abstract
Inappropriate use of nitrogen fertilisers is becoming a global problem; however, continuous fertilisation with N fertiliser ensures large and constant harvests. To evaluate the relationships of differently fertilised cultivated plant rotation with N metabolism in the agroecosystem the research was conducted between 2006 and 2013 at Lipliūnai, Lithuania, in fields with calcareous gley brown soil, i.e. Endocalcari Endohypogleyic Cambisol (CMg-n-w-can). The research area covered three drained plots where crop rotation of differently fertilised cereals and perennial grasses were applied. The greatest productivity was found in a higher fertilisation (TII, 843 kg N/ha) cereals crop rotation. With less fertilisation (TI, 540 kg N/ha) crop rotation productivity of cereals and perennial grasses (TIII, 218 kg N/ha) was 11-35% lower. The highest amount of mineral soil N (average 76 kg/ha) was found in TI. It was influenced by fertilisation (r=0.71) and crop productivity (r=0.39). TIII tended to reduce Nmin (12.1 mg/L) and Ntotal (12.8 mg/L) concentrations in drainage water and leaching of these elements (7 and 8 kg/ha). Nmin and Ntotal concentrations in the water depended on crop productivity respectively (r=0.48; r=0.36), quantity of mineral soil N (r=0.65; r=0.59), fertilisation (r=0.59; r=0.52), and N balance (r=0.26; r=0.35). Cereal crop rotation increased N leaching by 12-42%. The use of all crop rotations resulted in a negative N balance. Nitrogen balance depended on fertilisation with N fertiliser (r=0.55). The application of perennial grasses crop rotation in agricultural fields was the best environmental tool, reducing N migration to drainage.
Highlights
Nitrogen is the main crop nutrition element that has some impact on its productivity (Oenema et al, 2009)
Nmin and Ntotal concentrations in the water depended on crop productivity respectively (r=0.48; r=0.36), quantity of mineral soil N (r=0.65; r=0.59), fertilisation (r=0.59; r=0.52), and N balance (r=0.26; r=0.35)
The abuse of N fertiliser is becoming a global problem and affects the environment in a number of ways: (1) human health problems caused by nitrates (Powlson et al, 2008); (2) livestock health problems (Lundberg et al, 2008); (3) surface water eutrophication (Smith & Schindler, 2009); (4) formation of nitrous acid, which is linked to acid rain (Menz & Seip, 2004); (5) depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere because of atmospheric nitrate oxides, which strengthen ultraviolet radiation (Savci, 2012; Rosenstock et al, 2013); and (6) causes the global warming effect (Martinez-Blanco et al, 2014; Payen et al, 2015)
Summary
Nitrogen is the main crop nutrition element that has some impact on its productivity (Oenema et al, 2009). Nitrogen excess in agricultural production has a negative impact on the environment (leached nitrates, evaporating ammonia and N oxide) (Ahlgren et al, 2008). In terms of non-point source pollution, N constitutes 52 to 61% (Klaushal et al, 2011). Agricultural pollution constitutes on average 30 to 35% of N leaching (Klaushal et al, 2011). Views on fertilisation systems constituting human influence on water quality are rather mixed in the scientific literature. It is known that unproductive fertiliser losses and water pollution increase considerably through the irrational and unbalanced use of both mineral and organic fertiliser (Hongxu et al, 2011; Hyytiäinen et al, 2011). NO3- N leaching from the soil can be reduced significantly by changing scattered fertilisation into local (Nakamura et al, 2004)
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